Zagreb Academy of Fine Art kindly hosted a breakfast in the college on Ilica this morning. Dorothy Cross, accompanied by her minder [don't know the woman's name] and a beautiful black dog, engaged in a question and answer session. She was very interested in hearing about painters as she had never really followed that particular path. Word had broken about the death of Leonard Cohen and, while those present who knew and loved him voiced our sadness at his leave taking, the topic came around to the entity that is Trump and a spirited discussion ensued. Now, some people would say that politics is not related to discussions about art but I totally disagree. Life is politics and, in my opinion, artists need to be aware of the issues that are to the fore in all arenas. But that's just me and many, it seems, would take the opposite view! Everyone to their own. I like that fact that Dorothy Cross is passionate about what's going on in the World and is not afraid to speak out. Sadly, that approach may not be well understood in some parishes! Sin an doigh!
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| Dorothy Cross relaxing with students in the Dean's Room, Academy of Fine Art, Zagreb. |
On Friday evening, another event was staged in the Museum of Contemporary Art in the city. A number of films were shown and it was a wonderful opportunity to see this work on a big screen. Dorothy Cross was fascinated with the story of Maud Delapp from Valentia Island in Kerry, who devoted her life to the study of jellyfish, a very unusual pursuit for a woman back in the 19th century. The film,
Medusae [latin for jellyfish] explores Delapp's pioneering work and personal life and it reveals her meticulous documentation of her research. This was a three year project and Cross and her brother, with funding from the Wellcome Trust in London, collaborated in Australia on a project where they studied the swimming techniques [biomechanics] of the box jellyfish, the most dangerous of the species. Cross filmed the process. The balletic movement of the jellyfish is mesmerising and the most glorious element to this project was the scenes shot in an isolated lake in Palau in Micronesia, where Cross is filmed almost totally submerged underwater, surrounded by thousands of soft and beautiful jellyfish. Silence prevails so it is totally visual and it is a truly beautiful work. I believe Cross was exploring the experience of re -positioning humans in nature and reflecting on how the artist can highlight the environmental changes looming in the not too distant future.
The next film was called simply,
Antartic and this was a black and white video where deep sea divers are tracked in the waters of this region. The monochrome film is reversed and what we see
are negative images of icebergs and caves which creates a very eerie atmosphere. At one point, I am reminded of cyanotype images where the divers appear with crisp white outlines framed with the dark backdrop of the sea. Cross wanted to create a sort of slimy, oil like appearance in the sea's surface and this works. It refers to the ongoing colonisation of this part of the world, kept pristine and pure for centuries but now being hijacked by the clamouring hordes of avaricious nations eager to cash in on the valuable resources so far untapped. Is there any hope for our poor, beleaguered planet?
Stage was a project that Dorothy Cross undertook in collaboration with her friend, the actress Fiona Shaw where they both became involved in a residency in the Galapagos Islands, funded by the Gulbenkian Museum. The silence of expectation and issues of abdication prevailed in this piece. I found it to be somewhat disjointed but Dorothy later explained that many of the artists involved in this project returned home very depressed possibly because of the growing 'civilizing ' effects on these unique islands. The population has greatly increased and tourism is the primary industry.
The sublime short film,
Teacup was shown. This is such a deeply moving piece and there is no need to go into details about it. It speaks for itself.
The final work of the evening was Chiasm, an opera written by Cross. An astonishing work, this is a recording of the performances of a soprano and tenor who are located in two separate but adjoining handball alleys with a dramatic images of video footage taken in the wormhole seawater pool in the Aran Islands projected onto the floors of the locations. It is a mesmerising visual and aural experience and represents a new direction in Cross' oeuvre. It is reminiscent of the glorious phenomena of fractals aligned with memories of playing with kaleidoscopes light years ago.
I left the museum on this windy night with rain lashing down feeling energised and inspired. My admiration and respect for the artist, Dorothy Cross has greatly increased.
